A wheelchair can be as simple as a chair with wheels attached to it or a complex as a chair having a computerized motor control system. A wheelchair allows a person to move around comparatively easy allowing them to maintain a dynamic and self-determined lifestyle. Various types of wheelchairs to meet a particular user's needs, such as the electric wheelchair, manual wheelchair, power wheelchair exist in the world today. They are generally a chair mounted on wheels, which moves either by a motor or by manually rotating the chair's wheels. Wheelchairs have provided a new level of freedom for people with disabilities by ensuring mobility to the people for whom walking is difficult or impossible. Over the years, inventors have developed many innovations in the wheelchair area to make the life of people with disabilities more convenient.
The first recorded use of self-propelled chairs by disabled people in Europe dates to the 17th century. In the early part of that century, German mechanic and inventor Johann Hautsch made several rolling chairs. In about 1655, disabled German watchmaker Stephan Falter made a three-wheeled chair that he could propel by use of a rotary handle on the front wheel. So called mechanical “invalid chairs,” later models of which employed a range of cranks and rotary devices, increased in use from the late 17th century. They were designed as a means of transport primarily for the wealthy. In the 18th century, wheelchairs began to appear in surgical and medical instrument catalogues, where they were advertised as transport vehicles for patients. Similar to armchairs in style, those wood, wicker, or iron machines, with large wheels at the front and one caster at the rear for balance, were ornate heavy, and cumbersome.
Around 1750, English inventor James Heath introduced the Bath Chair, which was intended for use by women and invalids. The Bath Chair was a popular means of transport, particularly in Victorian Britain, where it served as a mode of transport for injured, sick, or disabled persons. The Bath Chair also served as a mode of transport for the wealthy. In the middle of the 19th century, designers introduced wheelchairs with wooden frames, seats, and backs made of cane. These wheelchairs were widely used in the United States by Civil War veterans. In the late 19th century, designers introduced other modifications such as wire-spoke wheels and rubber tires to reduce weight and increase comfort. Even with these developments, independent mobility with most wheelchairs remained limited to the confines of indoor environments.
Electric wheelchairs are one of the most popular types of motorized wheelchairs. These units typically consist of a center wheel and a rear wheel drive. It is the most maneuverable type of power wheelchair and can embody items like electric elevating seat and leg rests. The first wheelchairs were self-powered and worked when a patient manually turned the wheels of the chair. If patients were unable to operate the wheelchair, another person would have to push the wheelchair and patient from behind. A motorized wheelchair is one where a small motor drives one or more wheels. The earliest known attempts to create an electric wheelchair were made as far back as 1916, although no successful commercial production occurred at that time.
Following World War II, demand increased for motorized wheelchairs due to the high number of soldiers and sailors returning from combat after receiving serious physical injuries and amputations. Early electric wheelchairs were essentially standard wheelchairs with motors attached, which came to be known as power wheelchairs. Soon after, designers introduced power-base wheelchairs having the motor and batteries positioned beneath the seating component of the chair. By separating the drive component of the chair from the seating component, wheelchair designers broke new ground in wheelchair ergonomics. Other designs of motorized wheelchairs consist of an external motor unit mounted to the frame of a typical rigid wheelchair frame. Some designs have the motor unit attaching to the frame of the wheelchair. Other designs have the motor unit clamp to the main axle of the wheelchair.
One of the most-pivotal advances in wheelchair technology in the 20th century was the invention of the folding wheelchair, initially made with tubular steel, which allowed disabled individuals to use their wheelchairs outside their homes or care facilities. The early part of the 20th century saw the development of the first folding designs and tubular-steel chairs. In 1932, disabled mining engineer Herbert A. Everest and mechanical engineer Harry C. Jennings introduced the cross-frame wheelchair, which became the standard design for tubular-steel folding chairs.
Folding wheelchairs, while collapsible and easily transportable, often sacrifice stability or structural integrity in exchange for the collapsible functionality. The scissor-frame, or “X” design of most folding wheelchairs often result in a wheelchair that is less rigid when used than the fixed wheelchair.
Designers focused their subsequent developments primarily on decreasing weight and increasing reliability and performance. Many advances came from the use of wheelchairs in sports, which inspired the development of ultra-lightweight models. Modern designs included the Quickie, an ultra-lightweight rigid-frame wheelchair introduced in 1979. The Quickie wheelchair was unique for both its improved performance and its introduction of color and aesthetics.
Contemporary wheelchairs, especially motorized power ones, have been designed to ensure solutions for diversified requirements of diverse types of handicapped individuals. With a constant evolution taking place in the modern world, there is a parallel evolution taking place in the wheelchair area. A large number of individuals experience new disabilities every year because of health conditions, ailments, and accidents. Accordingly, these individuals suffer from traumatic changes in their lives such as the lessening of self-sufficiency and mobility. With the assistance of the motorized chair, one can overcome many of the challenges experienced by handicapped individuals.
For both manual and electric wheelchairs, the 20th century saw key improvements in seating design, which brought relief from problems such as pressure sores and added support for persons affected by conditions such as skeletal deformities. Together, advances in maneuverability, comfort, and reliability helped disabled persons to participate more fully in social and sporting activities.
While there have been new deigns attempting to create functional external motor units, current ones still fail to address the shortcomings of modern designs. For example, the New Electric Wheelchairs (NEWS) device designed by Ju Hyun Lee. NEWS is a motor unit designed to clamp around a wheelchair and attach to the outside of its wheels. A control console extends from one clamp, across the front of the occupant, to the other clamp. To attach NEWS, a wheelchair is push forward into NEWS where the clamps are attached to the outside of the wheels. The control console has controls and indicators for the user to operate the NEWS. Even through NEWS may be attached to a wheelchair, it suffers from other drawbacks. For instance, in modern society, buildings are designed to only meet the minimum spacing requirements promulgated by the government. Since NEWS clamps to the outside of the wheelchair's wheels, it adds to the overall width of the wheelchair. As such, use of NEWS can lead to the user being blocked from entering certain buildings and spaces. In addition, NEWS requires the use of a stand when removed from a wheelchair. If the stand is not available, a user may not be able to remove NEWS without the help of another able-bodied person.
Even with the wheelchair advances seen over the last century, there remain challenges for people in need of a wheelchair to function in everyday life. The advent of the collapsible wheelchair provided a substantial boost for the overall mobility of wheelchair users. Powered wheelchairs also provided a substantial boost. However, the industry lacks a collapsible wheelchair capable of receiving a motor unit easily installed and removed by a wheelchair user. The industry also lacks a solution to increase the rigidity of modern foldable wheelchairs.